Nesting history and abundance dynamics of the great cormorant (Phalacrocorax carbo L., 1758) in Baikal Siberia

The article describes the history of the stay and modern distribution of the great cormorant (Phalacrocorax carbo L., 1758) in Baikal Siberia as a result of its secondary expansion in the first quarter of the 21st century. The main places of work were the Selenga River delta, Maloe More Strait, , Chivyrkuisky Bay Islands, Verkhne-Angarsky Sor on Lake Baikal, Upper Angara and Barguzin Basins, Lake Gusinoye in Cisbaikalia, and Transbaikalia, where according to well-known literary sources this species lived from the 17th to the mid-20th centuries. We traced the dynamics of the Cormorant population in different areas based on direct accounting of birds in breeding colonies, as well as non-breeding birds. This made it possible to estimate the total number of cormorants in 2021 on Lake Baikal and the stabilization of their number in accordance with the ecological capacity of the environment. We also considered the area of the great cormorant with subspecies, and determined the hydrological changes of its habitats.